UPDATE 5/1/2012: Topshop did the right thing and removed the copycat Punctuation rings from sale.  Kudos to Wendy for handling this professionally and calmly… and kudos to everyone who rallied together to show their support for Wendy!

It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of Wendy Brandes Jewelry.

Wendy’s pieces always top my “most-wanted” list and for good reason.  The craftsmanship and quality are—without fail—superb.  It doesn’t matter if the piece costs thousands, or if it’s something from her more affordable “WendyB” line, it’s always beautifully made.

Me and my swear rings!

My first purchase from Wendy’s line was her swear ring set ($380). I purchased these lovelies back in 2010 and they are f#@!-ing amazing.  Seriously.  If you want to make a statement with your jewelry this is the way to go. Anyone who catches a glimpse of your fingers will stop to ask you about them. A complete stranger may even ambush you in a  public restroom to get the deets on these rings (yes, it happened).

These rings are definite statement pieces… so we really shouldn’t be surprised that Topshop has come out with a disturbingly similar set of their own, right?

Freedom at Topshop's version of the Swear Rings

These rings ($28) are the latest offering from Freedom at Topshop, a line which claims to be “always one-step-ahead of the trends and updated with about 400 new pieces each month.”  Clearly, they are more affordable than Wendy’s rings, but I am sure you get what you pay for in each case.

Perhaps to distance themselves from Wendy’s swear rings, Topshop calls these “punctuation rings”. According to freedictionary.com:

Punctuation: 1. (Linguistics) the use of symbols not belonging to the alphabet of a writing system to indicate aspects of the intonation and meaning not otherwise conveyed in the written language.

That means the letter “F” is not a form of punctuation!  That’s OK, though… I can understand how vocabulary may not be a top priority when you are under pressure to come up with 400 new designs a month… that’s 4,800 pieces a year!  Imagine how difficult it must be to come up with that many original designs.

Now, Wendy herself addressed this topic and admits that word and letter jewelry, including the 4-letter-word type, has been around for ages.  Nevertheless, Wendy admits that she finds the execution of this particular idea a bit more similar to hers than she would like.

As do I.

In my opinion, there are too many similarities between the Freedom at Topshop punctuation rings and Wendy’s swear rings for this to be a coincidence.  A simple google search of “buy swear rings” leads right to Wendy’s site, so anyone researching these types of rings would easily find her version, and that could very well be what happened here.  It’s pretty clear that Freedom at Topshop is also heavily “inspired” by Jennifer Fisher Jewelry and Made Her Think, among others, and now they have added Wendy Brandes to the mix.

But the way I see it, these rings are a poor imitation of the real thing: Wendy’s rings.

What I don’t understand is why a company the size of Topshop doesn’t reach out to the original designers, like Wendy, and ask to collaborate with them?  Wendy Brandes Jewelry is a small business which means some of her designs can be quite pricey because of the cost of materials and manuafacturing.  I know Wendy would love to offer more affordable versions of her designs to the public, so why steal her design? Why not work with her instead?

I know Topshop isn’t the first fast-fashion company to lift the designs of others and mass produce them, but that doesn’t make this right.

What are your feelings on this issue?

Do you support what these companies are doing or do you stand behind the original designers?

Or is your stance somewhere in the middle?

Remember last month when you saw that to-die-for pair of Emilio Pucci (or maybe they were Burberry?) thigh-high boots on that one website?  You bookmarked it, right?  So you could go back to it later?

What do you mean you forgot?! 

OK.  Breathe.  No big deal.  Just go to the website and–

Wait.  Maybe they were on that other website.  Which one was it?  And were they Burberry or Pucci?  OMG, what if they were Louboutin’s?! 

*sob* I’ll never find them again.

***************

OK, friends. Fess up.

How many times has something like that happened to you?  Maybe it was a new lipstick.  Or a skirt.  Maybe it was a pair of killer heels or a clutch.  Maybe it was a pair of sunglasses.

As someone who does a lot of online shopping and browsing, I know it’s happened to me.  More times than I care to count.

I’m always on the lookout for ways to help organize my shopping habits.

I’ve tried bookmarking items I like to save them for later… and end up with an unorganized mess. I’ve tried tagging items in Polyvore… and end up never going back to them. I started to rely on memory recently and you know that is just bound for failure.

I thought it was hopeless… until I was introduced to ObviLux.

ObviLux is the brainchild of three Stanford University design students.  They had been working on some other web-related projects when they noticed a few friends posting items they found while shopping on each other’s Facebook walls.  It didn’t take them long to realize that they could develop a more efficient and fun way to share shopping finds while also creating a sense of community and engaging brands.

Enter ObviLux.

My ObviLux Page - Click to Follow Me!

ObviLux is like the Facebook Google+ of online shopping.  Not only does the site let you “Lux!” (a fancy way to say “tag”) the items you are browsing with the click of a button, it is also a social shopping community.  My favorite kind!

A Sense of Community

ObviLux is fueled by community participation and is 100% user-curated.   All of the clothing, products and stores found on the site were originally Lux!ed by users.  It keeps growing as more users join and more products are added.

Current users are able to engage people outside of the ObviLux community by selectively sharing their finds on Facebook as part of the Lux!ing process. This means that instead of annoying hundreds of Facebook friends with a find, you can direct it to the people who you know would be interested.

Users are also able to comment on the items they Lux! and share any feedback they have.  Do the shoes run a 1/2-size small?  Put it in the notes.   Does the picture not do it justice?  Share!

Hmm… perhaps V of Grit and Glamour would be interested in this.

This interactive nature of Lux!ing is undoubtedly a great feature, but it is the community within ObviLux that is strongest.  You can easily follow both stores and individuals that match your sense of style on the site.

...and people too.

Right now it seems that many of the more active participants are bloggers.  What better way to meet new bloggers than by shopping their picks while sharing your finds at the same time!

The site also lets users create “style sets” that take the shopping experience a step further.

"Wendy Brandes Bling" ObviLux Set

I bet quite a few of the users on the site aren’t familiar with Wendy Brandes’ line.  If they follow me they will learn about her greatness.

Store Ambassadors

The most unique feature on ObviLux is the idea of a “store ambassador”.   This is something that the site developers are still working on, but the idea is pretty simple: users are able to earn store-specific points by luxing items, following others, commenting, re-luxing, etc.   The users who earn the most total store points in a 30 day period become ambassadors, similar to 4-Square mayors.   At the moment there are no perks other than the title, but the idea is that partnering brands will reward the ObviLux store ambassadors with gift cards, merchandise and other promotional items.

Not bad.

ObviLux is definitely still going through its growing pains and many more improvements are on the way, but so far so good.  I look forward to seeing what the future has in store but, in the meantime, my shopping has gotten a bit more fun and efficient.

Watch the video below for a more detailed overview on how the site works and follow me on ObviLux here. Already a user?  Great!  Drop me a note in the comments with your link.

I think it would be an understatement to say that my love of rings is well-documented.  Anyone who follows me on instagr.am is well-aware of my passion for them, and anyone who has followed the blog for an extended amount of time knows that I have a soft-spot for Wendy Brandes jewelry in particular.

The first piece(s) I ever purchased from Wendy B. were her swear rings.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.  The swear rings are the ultimate statement rings.  Nothing beats them.  I have the silver, but they also come in gold-plated as well.

Next up was her Little Woolf necklace.   It is small, delicate and amazingly detailed.

My list of “wants” when it comes to Wendy’s jewelry grew until it was basically comprised of her whole line.  No joke. There isn’t one piece that I wouldn’t love to own.  But… I’ve had my eye on one particular item for over a year now.

And as this afternoon, it’s mine.  *insert happy dance*

I am proud to present… the Vampire Diana Ring.

Beautiful, isn’t she?

I’ve always had a thing for vampires.

It started with a cute vampire bunny named Bunnicula.  Yup.  That was the first vampire story I ever read.

I read L.J. Smith’s The Vampire Diaries series back when I was a teen – way before the TV series and Twilight ever existed.

Then came Bram Stoker’s Dracula with its haunting sensuality.

Then there is True Blood.  Eric.  Yum.

I still believe that Buffy the Vampire Slayer was the best series ever on television.  And this ring, the Vampire Diana ring, was inspired by Buffy’s very own Spike.  Too cool.

That being said, I didn’t fall in love with it because of the vampire angle.  I fell in love because of its unique take on the “shot through the heart” concept.  Shot through the heart.  Arrow through the heart.  Stake through the heart.  What a great idea for a ring.

But besides all that… have you ever seen such a beautifully executed design before?  Amazing.

The ring is so striking, I don’t think any photos can properly do it justice.  Based on the images I had seen on Wendy’s site I expected it to be heavier.  Bulkier.  I was surprised when I opened the box and found that it was actually rather delicate for its size.

It is exquisitely crafted.  Quite breathtaking really.  It also comes in gold (which is even more amazing) and two different necklaces.

Thank you, Wendy, for designing such an amazing piece of art, because that is truly what it is!  I plan to wear this one every single day.

I’m already coveting my next Wendy B piece :  the Cleopatra earrings!

Have you checked out Wendy’s jewelry before?  Which pieces do you love?

It’s been awhile since I did a “me wants it” post because I have been trying to limit my spending a bit.  My philosophy is “if I don’t see it, I won’t know I want it!”   Clothing-wise I am on a bit of a shopping hiatus but accessories are what always get me into trouble.  Shoes, jewelry, bags… whatever.  You can never have enough of those because they are what ultimately end up making or breaking an outfit, right?

I had allowed myself a splurge or two if we made our 2010 fundraising goal at work and thankfully we did just that.  As such, I have spent the last few days browsing online and I think I have finally narrowed my list of possibilities down to the pieces below.  However, I am having an extremely tough time deciding so I figured I would ask all of you – which are your favorites and why?

First up is the Vampire Diana Ring by Wendy Brandes.   I love the original Diana ring, but the stake through the heart version just speaks to me right now.   It would be perfect for Valentine’s Day!   Wendy’s work is always impeccable, and the swear rings I already own are amongst my favorite pieces to wear.

Vampire Diana ring by Wendy Brandes, $495

On a side note, check out Wendy’s latest offering: the heart emoticon ring.  So, so cute.  I <3 it completely and want it too – but this wouldn’t be  a splurge item

Heart Emoticon Ring by Wendy Brandes, $150

Next up are a couple of pieces by DANNIJO.  The Spring 2011 line just went live on the website and through midnight February 3rd (that is today!) you can get 20% off the new line with code DJSPRING.  Who doesn’t love a good sale?  I am loving all three of these pieces.

Bramley Necklace by DANNIJO, $595 ($476 after discount)

Coppola bracelet by DANNIJO, $375 ($300 after discount)

The Dima necklace by DANNIJO is actually from last season, so although it isn’t part of the sale, it is already marked down.  It is also gorgeous.  And also a possibility.

Dima necklace by DANNIJO, $347.50

Then we have these Tania Spinelli Over the Knee Tab boots.  How. Perfect. Are. These?? The color is different from what you typically see and they are SUPER-tall.  They are also SUPER-pricey and aren’t as easy to find. I’d have to hunt them down by calling every boutique listed on taniaspinelli.com to see if I could have them shipped.   I don’t know if I want to go through the aggravation.  But they are so pretty…

Tania Spinelli Over the Knee Tab Boots

This next item isn’t an actual possibility. I am not going to spend this much on a clutch, but I wanted to share because if money was no object it would be mine.  Have you ever seen anything like it?  The Open Web Clutch by Anndra Neen is more like a piece of art than an accessory.

Open Web Clutch by Anndra Neen, $725

So, which is your favorite piece?  Is there anything YOU are currently coveting and trying to resist?

Street Style by Polka Dot vs. Elle Spain Copyright Infringement

I just wanted to thank everyone who either read this post here or this one on Jill’s blog and supported her.  As of last night, ELLE Spain finally did take down the blog post in which 4 of Jill’s photos had been used without her permission.  However, Jill has yet to receive an apology from ELLE Spain or the blogger, Carmen Bejerano, who had used the photos.  Keep showing your support and hopefully a much-deserved apology will be forthcoming.

March 11 – 13, 2011: Style Nation Blogger Meetup in Las Vegas!

If you are subscribed to the blog via an RSS Reader or service like Bloglovin‘, you may not have seen the new Badge on the right side of the site home page.  Here’s the dish:  Beverly of Style Underdog and Vahni of Grit and Glamour are coordinating a Blogger Meetup in the exciting city of “what happens there, stays there” Vegas!  There is a good chance that even I may forego my anonymity (at least partially) and attend this one!  Click below for more details:

Image via grit and glamour

Assuming I go (which I am assuming), I’d love to see you there!

Buy a Little Woolf and Help Sister Wolf

I wasn’t familiar with blogger Sister Wolf until I read about this fundraiser on Wendy Brandes’ blog yesterday.   I spent some time reading Sisiter Wolf’s blog yesterday and found myself inspired by her strength and resilience.  This remarkable woman endured a devastating loss earlier this year, and is now struggling with a roof that is on its last legs.

Wendy, together with Queens Marie and Michelle of Kingdom of Style and Kate of Make Do Style are all working together to try and raise some funds for Sister Wolf.  Wendy has offered the proceeds of sales of her Little Woolf necklace in silver.  For every Woolf sold for $50, $35 will go to Sister Wolf.

During this season of giving, think about purchasing one for yourself or as a gift!  Click below to be taken directly to the product page.

Click to buy a Little Woolf (Image via Wendy Brandes)

Nick Knight honors Alexander McQueen with Haunting Video

This beautiful video was filmed by famed photographer and videographer Nick Knight.  The clip was presented during the British Fashion Awards, where Alexander McQueen was honored with a posthumous award for Outstanding Achievement in Fashion Design.  According to The Cut: “the clip is set to a soundtrack by Björk and features McQueen’s most iconic pieces, styled by Edward Enninful and worn by black models only.”

The video allowed the pieces to be modeled one last time before they are moved to the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in preparation for a Spring exhibition of Alexander McQueen’s work.

What do you think?

The New Face of Chanel Handbags: Blake Lively

Does Chanel normally have a “face” specifically for their handbag campaigns?  Is it wrong that I didn’t realize that?  I mean, ask me who the latest face of Chanel Fragrances is and I can tell you with no problem.  I somehow missed this one.  According to E! Online, however, it looks like Blake Lively has landed this coveted gig for the new year.  A source tells Marc Malkin that:

“The Gossip Girl beauty will star in a new ad campaign for Chanel. I’m told she was just in Paris shooting for the French fashion house’s handbag collection. The ads should launch early next year…”

What do you think of Lively representing Chanel?  She certainly seems to have won the heart of Anna Wintour (and has 1, 2, 3 Vogue covers to prove it), so why not Karl Lagerfeld as well?

Chanel Pre-Fall 2011 Paris-Byzance Collection Preview

Chanel’s Pre-Fall Métiers d’Art Collection, Paris-Byzance, is inspired by the Byzantine Empire.  It is full of muted colors, rich ornamentation and striking silhouettes.  The designs are stunning and decidedly regal, but they also have just a touch of edginess to them.  I think it’s one of my favorite Chanel collections in some time.  You can check out images from the showing here, but I personally adore these preview shots which were shot by Karl Lagerfeld himself.

Image via Vogue Paris

Image via Vogue Paris

Image via Vogue Paris

Image via Vogue Paris

What do you think of the collection?  Any other Pre-Fall lines catch your attention?

Harper’s Bazaar UK: Emily Blunt in Tom Ford

I know what you are thinking.  Tom Ford.  Again.   I can’t help it.  I shared these images on twitter and facebook a week or so ago, but I had to make sure you had all seen them.  Check out this beautiful blue dress that Emily Blunt is wearing on the cover of the January 2011 Harper’s Bazaar UK.

Image via celebitchy

Karen Elson wore it in the December issue of US Vogue, but here you can see the detail of the dress even better.  Tell that that color isn’t one of the most striking blues you’ve ever seen.  Tell me the dress isn’t perfection.  Kill me now.

Image via celebitchy

To check out the rest of the Tom Ford goodies in the issue, click here.

Photography I Love:

Finally, I’ve been so busy talking about Tom Ford this and Tom Ford that lately that I neglected to mention these absolutely beautiful images.  These are from various photoshoots that caught my attention.  Click on the image to view more of each.

Alison Arboux for Kurv Magazine. Photographer: Jonathan Segade (Image via Zombie and Candy)

Alexandra Carl in Creature. Photographer: Damon Baker (Image via Zombie and Candy)

Maryna Linchuk for Vogue Turkey December 2010. Photographer: Ellen von Unwerth (Image via Zombie and Candy)

Kirsten Dunst for F/W 2010 Lula Magazine. Photographer: Autumn de Wilde. Rodarte's Laura and Kate Mulleavy guest-edited the issue. (Image via fashionologie)

Have any editorials caught your eye lately?

What else is on your mind this Whatever Wednesday?

Earlier this month, I blogged a bit about jewelry designer Wendy Brandes and her kickstarter project.  The great news is, with the help of the kickstarter community, Wendy was able to surpass her fund-raising goal of $10,000!  This means that her newest designs, the LOLZ, OMG and NYC swear-rings, can now go into production.  As someone who has long-admired her designs from afar, her kickstarter campaign was the incentive I needed to take the plunge and make that first purchase.

The great news (for me!) is that Wendy is super-fast with turn-around time and I already have my swear rings.

First, I just have to say these rings are abso-f@#!ing-lutely awesome!   They are made from quality sterling silver, the workmanship is excellent, and they are light as a feather.   And I love them.   Yes, I love them and plan to wear them as much as humanely possible.  Who needs a statement ring when you can have this instead:

It's hard to get a good shot of these by yourself!

*LOVE* *LOVE * *LOVE*

Now, on to the giveaway.  Sometimes, the best gift is one that you give.  Each one of you has given me the most wonderful gift.  Your presence here means the world to me, and I wanted to do something to show my appreciation to you.  I WISH with all my heart that I could afford to buy each of you a Wendy Brandes piece, but alas, I work for a non-profit.   (translation: not rich!)

However, to thank you for following my (sometimes lengthy) ramblings, and to celebrate the blog’s move to wordpress, I am hosting a giveaway.  I thought long and hard about what I wanted to give away, and came to the conclusion that the best way to show each my readers how special they are is to give them a chance to win a special necklace.  One lucky reader is going to win this beautiful Wendy Brandes Lotus necklace:

To enter, please leave a comment below and (if you don’t already), please follow the blog via RSS, bloglovin’, twitter or friend connect (links to the right).   I’ll randomly pick a winner on September 30th.  International residents are also eligible, so comment away!

I hope you like the necklace, and good luck!

Princess Diana…Remembered?
There are certain moments in your life that impact you in such a way that you always remember exactly what you were doing when they occurred.  I have had a few of these.  The first was probably the Challenger explosion.  Another was 9/11/01.  Another was Princess Diana’s death in a tragic car accident on August 31, 1997.

Yesterday was the anniversary of that tragic accident.  While people around the world, especially those in London, were remembering her, a company in China began exploiting her image.  Jealousy International, a Chinese lingerie company, launched the campaign for their newest lingerie line, simply entitled “Diana.”  The slogan?  “Feel the Romance of British Loyalty.”  The images?  Disrespectful.  They hired a Diana look-a-like to pose for these photos in an attempt to gain notoriety and cash-in on the memory and popularity of Princess Diana.

There is nothing right about this.  

 

The UK Daily Mail ran an article about the campaign and, needless to say, people are in an uproar.  In the UK it isn’t legal to use likenesses of the Royal Family in ads without their permission.  Too bad that rule doesn’t apply abroad.  #Fail.

Miranda Kerr: “A Vision of Femininity”  

In 3-D.

Steven Meisel shot these images of Kerr during a regular photoshoot and they were then converted to 3-D.  A spokesperson for Vogue Italia stated that, with this shoot, “[the magazine] escapes its own pages to become real in the hands of its readers…It reinvents itself and — first among fashion magazines — challenges, once again, the strict schemes of printed paper.”

Personally, I think 3-D is highly over-rated.  I feel like it’s become a gimmick to sell movies while adding nothing to the value of the film (don’t tell James Cameron, but I preferred the 2-D version of Avatar!).  Now it seems it’s become a gimmick to sell magazines as well.  

I don’t doubt the issue will sell well, it is something different, and she is beautiful.  Being that the images are also online, I can see it now – young boys everywhere busting out their 3-D Avatar glasses and “admiring” Kerr in all her 3-D glory.

Which magazine will do 3-D next?  Playboy?
 
F@#! Yeah, I these rings…
Question One: How many of you are familiar with Kickstarter?  If not, check out this IFB article profiling the website.  

Question Two: How many of you have heard about Wendy Brandes’ Kickstarter project?  You can help her raise some much needed funds by pre-ordering her Fall 2010 Swear-Ring Collection! 

For anyone who may not be familiar with her work, Wendy Brandes is one of the most talented jewelry designers out there.  These are some of my favorite pieces (All images property of Wendy Brandes):

In order to keep the cost of these rings down for buyers, Wendy also has to keep the manufacturing costs down.  In order to do that, she has to manufacture the rings overseas instead of locally.  She explains more about this here. 

Wendy turned to Kickstarter to help her raise the factory minimum needed to move forward with the production of these new rings.  She was able to reach her initial Kickstarter Project goal of $7,000, but now with the introduction of the NYC ring, the factory minimum needed for the project has gone up to $10,000. 

She is currently at $8,745 of the $10,000 needed and has ten more days to raise the rest of her funds and kickstart this project.   

Pre-order any of these new rings today, or check out the other ways you can help her reach her goal!  I used this opportunity to finally buy my F@#! rings.  Can’t wait to get them!

Random Product Rave:
I have been getting compliments on my hair all morning.  “Did you get it done?”  Nope.  “Did you color it?” Nope.  “Did you wash your hair?”  Ha ha.  Funny.  “New haircut?”  Nope.  

So, what is different today, you ask? 

I used my newly purchased Moroccon Hair Oil Treatment for the first time.

 

Moroccan oil is derived from the Argan Tree which grows in Southwest Morocco.  If you’ve heard of Argan Oil, you know that it is extremely moisturizing.  It’s also ultra-light and non greasy.  I have tried other Argan oil products, like Josie Maran’s Argan Oil, and am a fan.  

I had never tried the Moroccan Hair Oil Treatment, though, until today.  After just one use, I have already decided that it will be a permanent fixture in my hair routine.  My hair feels wonderful.  It’s shiny, bouncy, smooth, and much more manageable than usual.  I have really thick yet fine hair, and the oil didn’t weigh it down at all.  

Plus, it smells like the Caribbean.  *love*

Now – what are you thinking about this Whatever Wednesday? 


All images from Google Images unless otherwise indicated.